Fragments of a Shattered Hope
by wqsaey
Summary: AU origin story! Four boys, four girls, and four dragons: who were they in the unified dimension, and why did things have to end up this way? The truth lies with two children who only wanted to find a little happiness in their lives falling into an unfortunate chain of events.
1. Chapter 1 - Fin

**AN: I've seen a lot of theories and fictions about Yuya and co. actually being the four split forms of a destruction god, and Yuzu and co. actually being a creation goddess, but this story is based on my theory of a more human origin for the two. This first chapter won't explain who they once were (I am very intentionally vague in it), but it should explain their relationship on a core level. I hope you guys enjoy the tale I've woven.**

 **-V-**

He was screaming in pain and distress as he clutched his head with his eyes shut tight. Curling up into a pitiful ball, he felt like his body and soul were being ripped apart by hell-fire from the inside, and even though the boy had never longed for destruction or craved suffering, he was being continuously subjected to visions of ruined landscapes scattered with crumpled bodies. A foul, sickening wave of pleasure bubbled up from within him, which he shoved down with horror. This wasn't him. He couldn't be having these feelings. Yet he felt his resolve crack as he started to have doubts about the true reason behind these desires. It terrified him. He knew he couldn't avoid eventually breaking and being swallowed up by the darkness that even now clawed at his soul, but he still held one glimmer of hope within his heart that kept him struggling for every second of control over his body.

That she would stop him before that happened.

 **-V-**

She was weeping at the rapid deterioration of the boy's mind and soul. Even being right next to him, she felt completely powerless to save him, and so she held his contorting body closer than ever. The trembling girl prayed to any and every god that he be spared from his torture, that whatever darkness that had taken hold of the boy be purged from him to leave him with his life intact, but there were no answers. Not giving up, she instead wished upon herself, to sacrifice her entire being so that he could be spared, and the charm bracelet dangling on her wrist resonated with her sparkling, selfless wish.

However, in those moments, a shadow of desire slipped in. She couldn't hold back the bitter tears that betrayed what she wanted most: she wanted to be alive with him. She tried to reason with herself that it was impossible, that she couldn't expect to sacrifice nothing and still create a miracle, and the only thing she had to offer was herself. Her heart wouldn't allow it. Even if the very fabric of the world had to be distorted, ripped apart, and rewoven to accept her wish, she would make it, as long as she could still be with him.

 **-V-**

The miracle failed, at least in its initial purpose. The boy was not completely saved from the darkness that gripped him, nor did he remain as he once was. Rather, his soul was split into four pieces and scattered across the now-four worlds, unfortunately closely followed by the four split pieces of the darkness, albeit weaker and unable to exert enough influence alone. It was the price paid dearly by the girl, also split into four, who desperately wanted to stay with him. No longer with true forms, the three sets of four waited to be reborn in each world and to meet each other again, which would set the wheels of fate into motion once more...

 **-V-**

 **AN: So, this is the first fanfic that I've ever officially shown to others. It feels weird to do this since I've always made up stories for shows and books that I've liked before, but I rarely ever write them down somewhere since I just like imagining "what-ifs".**

 **Anyway, about the first chapter: yes, there is going to be more to this story, but I wanted to start _in media res_ , since this is the scene that I felt most strongly about when thinking up this scenario. Yuu (優) and Ai (愛), as I'm going to be calling the two originals, (Japanese for "gentleness" and "love", respectively) are very much tragic heroes in this chapter. My friends say I gravitate towards tragedy too easily, so I'll be remedying that in later chapters with fluffier times for the two sweethearts, but please let me know how I did! I'm not afraid of any sort of feedback, and critical ones would greatly be appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Once Upon a Time

**AN: Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter and has been waiting for a new chapter to come out! Even though it's kinda short, I promised some fluffy moments, and hopefully this delivers.**

 **-V-**

Laying on the soft, grassy bank of a river on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, a teenage boy with short dark-chocolate hair stirred from what seemed like a very long dream. His iridescent eyes blinked away his sleepiness as he slowly turned to face the one calling for him.

"Yuu!"

A bright voice rang out as a figure with shoulder-length crimson hair holding a plastic bag in the right hand dashed toward the boy now sitting up with a wide grin. "Ai! What're you doing here?" The teenage girl Yuu addressed loomed over him as she stated as-a-matter-of-fact, "Well duh, I got us some ice pops!" She handed Yuu his favorite as usual, strawberry, and got out melon for herself, then sat beside him on the grass. The boy took the frozen treat with glee, but furrowed his brow after remembering something. "Aren't you supposed to be at your student council meeting?"

Staying silent at first, Ai eventually sighed in exasperation, "Yuu, that ended thirty minutes ago. You weren't answering your duel disk so I just guessed you were here like normal. You were sleeping again, right?" Yuu was shocked. He was supposed to go meet her in front of the fountain at school to go home together after she was done. He must have been out for way longer than he thought. "Yeah, you got me..." he muttered softly, his bangs drifting in front of his face as he lowered his head.

"Geez! It's hard to believe that you're going to Heartland next month to compete as the Maiami junior youth champion with how laid-back you are," Ai teased loudly as she licked her popsicle. Startled by the sudden change in volume and realizing she was trying to lighten the awkward mood a little, Yuu gratefully played along. "I know, and I still beat you out for the title!" Ai playfully elbowed Yuu as she stuck her tongue out, now tinted white-green from her treat. "Shut up and eat before it melts!" The boy retorted lightly, "Don't need to tell me that again!" sticking his own out at her in response, and they briefly stared at each other before bursting out in laughter, their bright peals resonating together.

"You owe me one, okay?" Ai smiled cheerfully as they settled back down, while Yuu fake-groaned as he added it to his invisible tally, "Think I owe you four by now…" She poked him in the shoulder with emphasis. "No complaining, I even brought you an ice pop this time!" The boy raised his free hand up in defeat as he surrendered to her. "Okay, okay! I promise, I'll make it up to you by the end of this week." Satisfied with his answer, the crimson-haired girl flopped on the grass with a soft thump. "That's a promise, Yuu!"

 **-V-**

 **AN: Well, that's that! So, were you guys expecting a modern-age setting for Yuu and Ai? I thought it would be a nice contrast to other origin stories that set them in an ambiguous time and place or something clearly not like what the current dimensions are like. Also, I don't have clear pictures for Yuu or Ai, so if anyone wants to contribute any details to what they look like and wear, be my guest! Anyway, here's hoping the next chapter doesn't take nearly as long for me to write!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Home is Where the Heart Is

**AN: Wowee, this chapter took way longer than the last one for me to finally muster up, but it's finally here! I'm pretty happy with it, if only because it's slightly closer to a proper length this time instead of being teeny tiny. Maybe it's just because I had more to actually write about this time… Anyway, I ended up finishing this chapter after the release of Episode 126. This may be officially non-canon now, but it's still going to continue on as originally intended, canon facts be damned. Still, I'm kinda surprised at how many of my private conjectures were on the right track. Some of them should come to light in a chapter or two, but until then hope you enjoy this one!**

 **-V-**

"Ai, Yuu, just in time! Help me out with setting up the table, would you?" A woman's voice rang out for the two teenagers from the kitchen as the front door shut close behind them. Knowing the drill, Ai promptly handed her bag to Yuu, who nodded and took off upstairs, while she made her way to the kitchen and started getting out utensils and plates from the drawers and cabinets. "What are we having tonight, Mom?"

"I'm trying out another one of Michie's recipes! It's his famous curry!" The lady with the wavy blonde ponytail glanced back at Ai with a bright smile and wink before turning her attention back to the pot. "The rice is in the cooker, so as soon as Yuu comes back with your father, I'll serve dinner." As if right on cue, a head of chocolate hair popped out over the railing from the second floor that overlooked the kitchen. "Well, good thing we're back already then!" Grinning widely, Yuu slid partway down the pole coming from the extended ceiling before flipping forward and landing on his feet, which earned him an earful from the worrisome mother. "Yuu, what did I tell you about stunts in the house?!"

Before Yuu could try to defend himself, a man with a slight mustache and goatee appeared from around the corner, having just walked down the stairs normally. "Now, now, Yoko, there's nothing wrong with him having a little fun. However..." He walked over to Yuu and rustled the boy's hair for a moment, then looked him in the eyes seriously. "Yuu, when you put yourself at risk even for a moment, you need take the time to think about who would worry for you, okay? I know you just want to keep practicing at any moment you can, but your mother, even with all her confidence in you, would be devastated if anything happened to her beloved son. Even for me, she only lets me duel the way I do because she trusts me to take care of myself. So for now, try not to make her fret when it's not necessary."

Although the bright-eyed boy looked like he was going to object at first, another look at the concerned expression on Yoko's face made him change his mind. "I understand, Yusho." The father gave Yuu a small satisfied smile then turned to the two ladies. "Good, then let's eat! I can't wait to dig into that curry!"

Throughout dinner, Ai and Yuu chatted and bantered like normal, Yuu mostly complaining about the amount of homework from school and Ai chiding him that it wouldn't be a problem if he didn't leave everything to the last second, going on to scold him further about staying up all night to complete said homework and then falling asleep in class because of it and earning extra homework. As for Yoko and Yusho, they were lightly discussing the details of Yusho's next exhibition duel, though further observation would have made it clear they were both keeping a watchful eye on the children, especially Yuu. After everyone had cleared their plates, Yoko let Yuu go up to his room early since he had a significant amount of homework to complete, while Ai stayed with her mother to help her wash the dishes and Yusho remained sitting at the dinner table. However, it wasn't long before Yoko brought up her melancholy thoughts. "He still doesn't call us 'Mom' and 'Dad', does he?"

"Mom... I'm sure he'll do it eventually! He just needs a little more time to adjust," Ai tried to defend Yuu with a half-hearted assurance as she tightly gripped the plate she had been drying, "He'll say it when he's ready..." Yoko gently placed a wet hand over her daughter's while looking protectively at her. "Ai, it's been nearly three years since we took him in. He's definitely warmed up since you found him, but he still tries to put distance between people with little things like that. I wonder if he even notices it himself."

"He used to do it on purpose before, but now I think it's just become what's comfortable," Yusho sighed as he joined in the conversation. "Deep down, he's still afraid to admit out loud that we're his family now, even though he clearly cares about us. It makes me wonder just what happened with his real parents." The man furrowed his brow in deep concern as the atmosphere of the conversation weighed heavily on the family, and Ai reflected back on the past…

 **-V-**

 _The young girl had forgotten that it was supposed to rain heavily all day, so when school finally let out in the afternoon, she was stuck without an umbrella to keep herself dry. Despite offers from her friends and other classmates to walk her home or loan her their own, she decided to brave the weather and hurry back home as soon as possible, but on the way back, she hadn't been paying enough attention and ran straight into the path of a car without realizing it until it was too late._

 _That was when he swooped in and snatched her out of the road in a blink of an eye, saving her just like a prince from a fairy tale. The boy cloaked in pure white, with breathtaking eyes that shone like sparkling opals, spoke gently to the shocked girl and made sure she wasn't physically hurt. Although he was satisfied that she would be okay and started to turn away to leave, the girl suddenly asked if he would like anything for his help. After a pause, the mysterious boy jokingly replied that a family would be nice, which to his surprise she took very seriously and dragged him back to her home, along the way poking and prodding him for his story. No matter how much she asked, however, he wouldn't answer with any details, only giving vague descriptions about himself._

 _When the two children reached the girl's home, the first thing she did was get her parents, who were understandably confused by her insistence that they take in the quiet boy she had brought home out of the blue, but after they offered him warm food and dry clothes for his trouble and tried talking with him, again only getting the same vague answers the girl had, they began to believe that he was in fact without a family. Not without a conscience, the parents agreed to take care of the lonely boy as long as he was willing to stay. With deep gratitude in his heart, he shed emotional tears as he chose to remain with the family who showed him such selfless hospitality._

 **-V-**

Later at night, Ai tossed around in her bed in her pajamas as the vivid memory of that rainy day continued to bother her. It was normally one of her favorites to think back on, since that was how she met Yuu and how he joined her family, but tonight she couldn't help but feel restless after listening to her father's words. What happened with his parents? It was a question that needed to be asked, and it had been many times before, but Yuu always avoided it with a sad, lonely, but peaceful smile that quieted whoever had. It was drastically different from the loud, enthusiastic smiles that he became known for, the ones he showed off when he was enjoying himself during duels or with friends, ones that could lift her heart up to dizzying splendor with a single bright laugh. It didn't seem possible that they could belong to the same person. Was one real and the other fake? She didn't want to think about what that meant. She needed to talk to him. Until she did, the heavy feeling that was burdening her wasn't going to leave no matter how long she tried to chase it away. With that insistent thought, Ai silently crossed the hallway from her room to Yuu's and softly knocked on his door before entering.

 **-V-**

 **AN:** **I think my favorite part of writing this chapter was Ai's flashback, especially the beginning of the second paragraph. I really enjoy writing in that kind of past tense, which is the same tone as the first chapter; if I had to describe it, it's sort of like writing a fairy tale. Also, I got to sneak in a tiny reference to the Arc-V manga, which I actually really enjoy as an alternate story of that universe!**

 **Anyway, I'm thinking about having a few duels later on in the story, but I'm not too sure they'd really be necessary to write out in full detail. Still, dueling is still a major part of the world and Yuu's life, so the opportunities will definitely pop up time and again. I don't have any experience writing them, so any thoughts and opinions would be nice. Thanks again!**


End file.
